Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has labelled Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira’s modern day friendship as “incredible” despite the pair being “ready to kill each other” during their respective playing days.
Battles between the two midfield generals are iconic images of the Premier League era as the Gunners and Manchester United battled for honours around the turn of the century. On more than one occasion, the pair came to blows on the pitch.
Their tense showdown in the tunnel at Highbury is also a much talked about argument between Keane and Vieira. Despite their often explosive relationship, the duo appear to have patched things up over recent years since hanging up their boots.
Keane and Vieira have been on the same punditry team on many occasions, something that had left the Frenchman’s former boss shocked. Speaking after being inducted into in the Premier League Hall of Fame, Wenger said: "Roy Keane was a top player, but a very aggressive one. But Vieira, you cannot intimidate him.
“It was a perfect rivalry for the Premier League because you would see these two guys look for each other, and they looked after themselves, and nobody wants to give in. They became a little bit of a symbol of the rivalry between the two clubs.
“I see them now on television and they are perfect friends! It’s incredible actually. Before that, you would think they were two boxers ready to kill each other.”
Who do you think was better, Keane or Vieira? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Speaking about the on-pitch rivalry between the pair, fellow Hall of Fame inductee Sir Alex Ferguson said: “Roy Keane against Patrick Vieira was an incredible competition between two titans of the game. It was a great competition for years. I used to enjoy it and I think both players enjoyed it too.”
Whilst Wenger has been left baffled by the budding relationship between the two Premier League greats, supporters were also in the same position after spotting Vieira and Keane out for ice cream together.
Speaking about the incident, the former Crystal Palace manager said: "We were walking back to the hotel and went to an ice cream shop, some fans saw and couldn't believe it was Roy and myself walking around eating ice cream together.
"He was the one who paid, the better player never paid so he was the one who had to pay for the ice cream!"
The competitive edge between both Keane and Vieira subsided in 2005 with the two midfield greats wrapping up their stints with United and Arsenal respectively. The Irishman joined Celtic following a 12-year spell at Old Trafford while Vieira bid farewell to Arsenal to join Juventus. He had a further spell in Italy with Inter Milan before rounding off his career with a brief Premier League return with Manchester City.
